This invention relates generally to die clamping means for the stationary positioning of a die assembly on a work surface and in particular is directed to an adjustable die mount for securely mounting die assemblies having a wide range of thicknesses.
A conventional die clamping assembly is shown in FIG. 1. The die clamping assembly 10 includes a die clamp body 20 which is coupled to a lever arm 12 by means of a pivot pin 14. The die clamp body 20 thus acts as a pivot support frame for the lever 12 which is free to rotate about the axis defined by the pivot pin 14. Positioned beneath the lever arm 12 on respective ends thereof is a hydraulic cylinder assembly 16 and an engaging arm, or contact, 22. The hydraulic cylinder assembly 16 is positioned upon and supported by a support base 24. The hydraulic cylinder assembly 16 is coupled to a source of hydraulic pressure (not shown) and responsive to changes in said pressure for vertically displacing the piston rod 18 of the hydraulic cylinder assembly 16. In response to the vertical displacement of the piston rod 18, lever arm 12 is rotated in either a clockwise or counterclockwise direction resulting in a corresponding displacement of the engaging contact 22 distally positioned on the lever arm 12 with respect to the piston rod 18. An upward displacement of piston rod 18 will result in the downward displacement of engaging contact 22 for securely clamping a die, or die flange, 26 to a support table 28 upon which it is positioned.
The die assembly 26 may thus be securely positioned upon the die support table 28 during the work piece forging process. Because of the large hydraulic forces typically required to securely mount a die assembly and the relatively small size of the components of the die clamp, the pivot arm 12 typically undergoes a relatively small, fixed vertical displacement. This characteristic of prior art die clamp assemblies is not a problem provided the engaging portions of the die clamp assemblies are of generally the same thickness. Problems are encountered when the clamping portions of various die assemblies vary over a wide range of thicknesses. The hydraulic die clamp 10 shown in FIG. 1 is unable to accommodate a wide range of die assembly thicknesses for the stable mounting thereof on a work surface. Heretofore, die assembly thicknesses exceeding the capabilities of a given hydraulic die clamp required replacement of that assembly with a larger unit for accommodating increased die flange thicknesses. This, of course, necessitated the use of more components with an associated increase in cost for more flexible die press operation. In addition, the changing of various press components results in an increased amount of time for tooling operations as well as an associated increase in operating expense. To date, there has not been devised an apparatus capable of clamping die assemblies having a wide range of thicknesses to a die support table without involving a complicated installation process requiring the changing of various press components.